Paintball Club
by ForeverAReaderAWriter
Summary: (Originally Adrien's Rival on my Bio) Nino asks Adrien if he'd like to play paintball with the boys from school against the local competition team. Adrien is excited to release some inner Chat Noir but consistently gets beat by the other team's mysterious captain. As Adrien's curiosity and competitiveness amp up, so does his desire to find out who the mysterious team captain is.
1. Chapter 1 : Newbie

**A/N : Hi folks, I haven't completed this story and while I usually don't publish until I'm done the entire story, I really have a soft spot for this one. I enjoyed writing it and making the cover art. **

**Plus with all the inactivity you've had, I think you deserve some of my better work! Please Enjoy! :) **

**Also, On my Author Page in Works in Progress, it is originally titled "Adrien's Rival"**

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"Yo Adrien, how busy are you this weekend?" Nino asked as he caught Adrien just leaving the school.

"Actually there's a little lull so I'm pretty free. Why? What's up?" Adrien replied, curious.

It was obvious Nino wanted to hang, but what exactly did he want to do?

Adrien could tell by his friend's choice of words that Nino had something special in mind.

Nino's extra big grin confirmed the blond's suspicions.

"Would you be down to join some guys from class and me to play a game of paintball?" The DJ offered.

Adrien couldn't help but smile wickedly.

That sounded like so much fun!

He pitied the other team.

Paintball wasn't something he'd personally played before, but he had a feeling he'd be a natural.

He did save Paris on the daily anyway.

"Seriously? I would love to!" Adrien exclaimed as he bumped fists with Nino.

"Yeah okay man, just remember this is all for fun," Nino added before he turned away from Adrien, going back to Alya and Marinette.

Adrien frowned. What a weird thing to say. Of course it was just for fun.

He pondered what Nino meant but couldn't decipher the secondary meaning.

Sunday morning rolled around and Adrien found himself getting out of his car and searching for the building Nino gave him an address for.

Nino and the other guys were waiting in the lobby. He wasn't surprised to see Kim or Ivan but he was kind of shocked to see Nathaniel and Max.

Nino saw his gaze and laughed as he walked over to greet Adrien.

The DJ was wearing an old thick royal blue sweater, Nathaniel in dark grey, Kim in red, Ivan in dark brown an Max in neon green.

"I know what you're thinking but Max is a great strategist and Nathaniel actually has a lot of aggression that he likes to get out in paintball," Nino explained.

Adrien quirked a brow. He could believe the first part but the second...

Well.

Adrien glanced at the shy and reserved looking Nathaniel.

He'd have to see it to believe it.

Nino rolled his eyes at Adrien's disbelief, deciding to instead tease his friend.

"Hope that isn't an Agreste original," Nino said as he tugged on a white sleeve of Adrien's sweater.

Adrien snorted.

"It is but it's so old that Father would probably shoot me if he saw me wearing it for anything else. I was probably supposed to donate it or throw it out awhile ago," Adrien chuckled.

Adrien didn't mind the fact that it was going to get covered in paint. He thought it was cool, and if it stained then it was a souvenir.

He loved sweaters, especially the comfy ones and if he got to wear them from a past collection then he tended to keep them.

Besides they were good for things like this.

The guys made their way to the counter and paid, receiving paint balls, guns, clips to carry into battle, and helmets or masks.

Kim only went with a mask because that was how real men played.

Max unsurprisingly went fully covered and so did Nino and Adrien.

Ivan wore a black helmet while Nathaniel also choose a mask.

Nino helped Adrien put on a vest.

"So how are we doing this? Trading off Max and switching up teams every few rounds?" Adrien asked as Nino slid on his own vest.

Nino frowned.

"No actually - "

"Well look what the cat dragged in," A snide voice interrupted. Adrien looked over to see a 5 member team in all matching camouflage gear appear.

Adrien's eyes narrowed at the speaker, a bean pole slightly taller than him, maybe even a year or two older.

"Hey man we're just here to have fun," Nino muttered.

The guy strode up to Nino and glared down at him.

"Oh no, you're here to try and beat us like you do every month. It's a ritual now," he remarked, hands flung to either side of him, "Or a loosing streak."

The other members of his team laughed at his comment.

Adrien clenched his teeth to avoid saying something unpleasant.

"Enough." A voice commanded.

Adrien could see through beam pole's mask and noticed his eyes widen as he stepped back to his team.

"Yes sir," the guy said submissively, face going from smug to blank in three seconds flat.

"You're always getting us into trouble with your talk. Yet who has to cover your butt?" It continued. The team parted as a short guy in a baggy traditional military camo strode to face Adrien and his friends.

Adrien frowned. This guy had a voice changer in his helmet. It was calibrated really well, Adrien's cat senses barely able to pick it up.

He sounded like a guy well past puberty but he could be 9 for all Adrien knew.

Shrimp carried himself with a sort of calm dignity. He didn't even look at bean pole who shriveled at his scolding.

"You sir." he muttered in response.

"That's right, we're here to have fun, now remember that," the Shrimp said impassively.

He turned to Nino and stuck out a hand.

"Good to see you again Team Wild Gun," Shrimp greeted warmly.

Nino clasped his gloved hand with his own and gave it a firm shake.

From the way his eyes crinkled Adrien could tell he was smiling.

"You too team captain of the competition team," Nino replied.

Adrien's jaw dropped.

Some members on Shrimp's team had to be triple his size. Yet he was team captain? He certainly seemed to run a tight ship and had his team mate's respect.

The captain's gaze slide over to Adrien who found himself looking at black tinted plastic that he couldn't see past.

Huh. Guy liked his privacy.

"New member?" The captain questioned curiously.

Nino nodded.

"Good, we can play full teams then," Shrimp barked, "See you on the field."

The guy turned on his heels, baggy army print pants crinkling as he went while his dark black combat boots echoed through the room with every step he took.

Bean pole scowled at Adrien and his friends as the rest of the team followed their captain.

He stomped over to Adrien and poked him in the chest.

"One extra player won't make any difference," he hissed before he spun around and ran after his team.

Adrien looked at Nino. He needed some answers.

"Competition team?" He asked.

Nino smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry Dude, this place has their own team they send to competitions, in exchange they give the entire team a free membership here. Unlimited balls, no fee for gear rental, I mean heck they have their own uniforms and masks and stuff," Nino explained.

Adrien was thoughtful, so some of them thought they were better than others.

Adrien snorted thinking of bean pole. Wouldn't he like to reveal that he was Adrien Agreste?

His mind then wandered to the player with the all black helmet.

Shrimp the team captain.

"Shrimp seems nice," Adrien said.

Nino looked at him in confusion before he realized who he meant.

"Oh yeah. They call him Sniper. He's pretty cool and chill but on the field he's insane! Rumor has it he's our age and I can see it with the way he acts...but he is pretty shrimpy," Nino gushed.

Adrien hummed, this guy seemed to impress Nino, he wondered how he'd hold up to Chat Noir's skills.

"How good is he Nino?" Adrien prodded.

He had to know.

His competitive streak was beginning to flare.

Adrien the newbie at Paintball had something to prove.

"Honestly, he's probably secretly Chat Noir, if he's not I would put my money on him in a fight. I watch any tournament they have here or stream from their other competitions," Nino admitted.

Kim walked over and rolled his eyes.

"Nino you're our team captain! Stop man crushing on the enemy!" Kim lectured.

The guys got a good laugh out of that one as Nino sputtered defensively.

The loud speakers blared to life signaling the current round was over.

Adrien watched the doors to the arena open revealing a group who looked severely beaten.

"Why do we always choose to try and beat the comp team again?" Ivan muttered under his breath.

"Because we like a challenge?" Nathan supplied.

Adrien caught Nino's eye again. He was looking for context.

"Adrien, every Sunday, all Sunday, the competition team is officially at the disposal of the public to challenge. They're literally slotted for this time," Max provided.

Adrien thanked him as he watched Nino get pumped up, even Nathaniel was grinning like a madman.

Adrien almost felt nervous. What if he let them down?

He didn't want the bean pole to win, to be able to gloat over them.

Once again Max seemed to notice his distress and tried to reassure him.

"Adrien it's all for fun, besides, we've never beaten the Comp Team before."

Adrien's winced.

Was the comp team really that good?

To be fair they did have Nathaniel and Max...

Adrien tried to examine the layout of the field through the observation glass as teams gathered despite the fact that only cleaning staff were on the field.

"Aw yeah, another Wild Gun VS A Team battle!" A couple of other teenage boys remarked.

Adrien blinked.

Were Nino and his classmates really that good?

Adrien eyed them warily. So much he didn't know...

He was treading in unknown territory.

Just then the speaker came on announcing it was the next team's turn.

"Alright Adrien, game plan is hang back a little and watch us play. Max will talk strategy with you. Don't worry about getting hit, we have three round to play," Kim said.

Adrien pursed his lips. The captain of the other team said they'd play with all their players, and Max already didn't do the front lines really.

"What about that extra member?" Adrien pointed out.

"Don't worry about it, we've got it," Nathaniel reassured.

Nino snickered and Adrien scowled at him, he felt like they were keeping some big sort of secret from him.

Nino just clapped Adrien on the back.

"Look Dude, some of us are so good we've been offered a spot on the comp team," he revealed.

Adrien's brows knit together in confusion. If they were that good then how come they'd never won?

Adrien opened his mouth to ask only to get his question answered by Ivan.

"Because Sniper is one really good player. He's not only a master strategist, but he's got some crazy athletic skill," Ivan said.

Adrien raised a finger, ready to ask more questions when the warning horn blared, encouraging players to move from the locker room to the waiting section of the field.

The first thing he noticed was how big it was!

The next. How dim the lighting was. A bonus for his enhanced vision.

Tires, barrels, haystacks and even a few abandoned cars were scattered about.

But what amazed Adrien was the net work of almost treehouse like huts and bridges a level above them.

This was one savage course! It definitely looked like an elite battle field.

Max nudged him with his shoulder.

"Over there, we camp while the other split up. Nino, Kim and Nathaniel move forward while Ivan covers from up across from us in the other hut. You could potentially be the first forward, or flank in the back," Max whispered as he pointed to a spot.

"We move positions from there and then if necessary we run around behind our line between the upper level and the floor depending on if they come for us up top," Max continued.

Adrien frowned.

"Do you always do it like this?" He asked.

Max laughed.

"No, this is just this month's strategy, we like to mix it up."


	2. Chapter 2 : Sniper

**A/N : Hi folks, while I wasn't planning on continuing this story originally since I only had 2 chapters done, I have decided to try my best finish it.**

**After this week, updates will be every second Wednesday!**

**I will let you know if anything changes :) **

**Please enjoy!**

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Adrien tensed when the actual horn sounded, signifying the start of the game. Kim and Ivan took the left side, splitting when Ivan climbed up while Nathaniel was on Adrien and Max's side, staying on the ground instead of climbing up.

Nino went right up the center and from the small window in their tower hideout, Adrien had a pretty good view of the field.

Except the obstacles were pretty good at hiding the other team, even with the height advantage.

Adrien watched Max kneel and use his paintball gun like a sniper. So far there were no-

SPLAT

Yep. There was the first shot. Adrien watched in interest as Nathaniel quickly ducked behind his object, the enemy having seen his red hair.

"There you are," Max muttered under his breath.

Adrien watched him talk quietly to himself, something about drafts and trajectories.

Max fired one single shot that produced a disgruntled cry as it apparently hit its mark.

Adrien's jaw dropped.

And then Max immediately ducked as a shower of paint balls came his way from the other team.

Max cursed as the supposed draft whipped a paint ball back that hit Max smack dab in the chest.

"Be careful of that," Max warned as he went to the wait/out section, "they don't know you're here."

Adrien clutched a fist to his chest. He would avenge Max. Adrien peeked out the cutout to see Bean Pole in a hut at the other end. He looked to the side to see Ivan sneaking forward, it was a risky move, there was no cover on the bridges.

Bean Pole leaned out over the window and twisted to get his shot.

Adrien growled and aimed his gun without a second though.

He pulled the trigger and was pleased when the ball splattered on Bean Pole's shoulder. The guy yelping in surprise as his head whipped around.

Adrien pressed himself into the corner and counted to a minute before looking back.

Bean Pole had his hands up as he made his way to the out station.

Adrien eyed the other towers and was certain that only bean pole was up here, meaning every other member was on the floor.

That'd make them easy picking for Ivan and him.

Adrien scrambled ahead as paintball fire was traded back and forth between the teams under him. Ivan and Adrien paused to cover, nowhere near the Sniper Max was but allowing Kim, Nathaniel and Nino to advance.

Nino was so close to the enemy, he slung himself over an oil barrel and shot the guy in the back before gently shoving him out of his former spot.

Adrien gaped at his friend.

Nino wasn't kidding when he said they were good.

The comp team didn't seem so tough.

Nathaniel made his move next since Nino was pinned in a tight spot, he didn't even wait for cover fire, dodging all the shots like an angry dancing gymnast and he even returned fire while he moved.

Woah.

Nathaniel was crazy.

Kim was the one who ended up getting shot but to be fair he also shot the guy who's position he tried to take.

Adrien smirked. Four to three. With team mates like his the odds weren't too bad. Adrien hadn't even seen their team cap-

SPLAT

Adrien winced. That sounded close. He looked over to see Ivan with his hands up as the Shrimp appeared in the middle of a bridge, sniping Nino who'd just shot another member. Adrien swore and saw the opponents second last team member advance to Nathaniel.

Give his position away? Yes. He should.

Adrien shot the guy leaving on their team captain against Nathaniel and him.

Nathaniel immediately understood what was going on and shifted to return deeper into their side, probably to safely climb up to the tree fort.

Adrien tried to shoot the team captain, still wide open only to see him launch himself over the bridge, Adrien cried out but relaxed as the crazy guy slid down a support pole.

He vaulted over the top of a car and was fastly gaining on Nathaniel. Adrien attempted to shoot him every time he popped up but his speed was unbelievable.

Nathaniel had just moved behind a stack of hay when Shrimp came tearing across the field. Adrien winced, Nathaniel was so close. So close to reaching a safe climbing spot.

Adrien did his best and yet the paintballs just seemed to miss the A Team's captain.

Nathaniel dived for cover by the climbing ladder only to be shot in the side.

Adrien looked around, wishing he'd payed more attention to where the paintball came from.

Finally he noticed Shrimp scrambling up a pole, not even taking the ladder. Adrien took the opportunity to scale down onto the ground and hide. If he played his cards right the team captain would think he'd still in the same spot and he'd be able to ambush him.

Adrien pressed himself against the sand bag wall and tried to steady his breathing.

He needed to concentrate.

Adrien peeked over the top of the barrier to glance at the suspension bridge. He frowned when he didn't see they guy move from the opposite tower.

Was he waiting for Adrien to make the first move?

Adrien's eyes widened as he dodged a paintball, flinging himself onto his back.

Pushing himself up, he could see Sniper running towards him on the ground.

Adrien grimaced. It had been a fake out and he fell for it!

Adrien cartwheeled to avoid the next onslaught of paint balls.

Sniper was standing on top of an abandoned car, in plain clear view, not even trying to hide.

Adrien quickly returned fire, watching in surprise as his opponent jumped high into the air and did an army shoulder roll diagonally to take cover behind a barrel.

He couldn't help but gape.

Well Shrimp was certainly on par with Chat Noir.

Adrien could hear his friends cheering for him and it boosted his desire to win.

He had something to prove.

He was Chat Noir.

And only his Lady was allowed to best him!

Adrien's appraisal of his opponent cost him as Sniper came flying straight towards him, using the barrel to push himself into the air in a leap that defied gravity.

The blond cringed, at that height there was no where he could hide without Sniper seeing him, but the team captain himself was wide open.

Adrien just had to get him while he was vulnerable.

He aimed his gun and pulled the trigger three times, ensuring no room for errror.

At the height of Sniper's jump, the kid somehow threw his arms in such a way he spun like a twister, the paintballs flying by him.

Adrien cursed. He'd only bought himself a few minutes and he was cornered close to the perimeters of the arena. If he made for the other end his back would be exposed which wasn't smart with Sniper...

Sniper didn't land on Adrien like his trajectory had originally been calibrated for but just to the side in front of him.

Adrien immediately tried to shoot him again only to have him do a one handed cartwheel.

They circled each other warily.

Adrien could almost see the gears turning in Sniper's head.

The kid was dangerous because he could strategize on top of physically play well. He was pulling double duty and his skill alone certainly made up for his team's shortcomings. Shrimp alone could probably take out a team.

Adrien hated the stalemate. He wasn't a strategist as much as Ladybug.

He was only giving his opponent time to outmaneuver him.

But he wasn't quite sure what to do either. It was frustrating in a way competitions in fencing never felt.

There wasn't as much complicated strategy as per say reflexes and skill.

This combat and field reminded him of akuma battles and how useless he felt from time to time.

No. He refused to let the guys down.

Adrien eyed Sniper warily who flexed the muscled in his arms.

He tensed. Sniper was about to make his move.

Adrien was not expecting him to throw his gun high in the air though.

He couldn't help but look at the height the item got and that was his first mistake.

Taking his eyes off the opponent who dove between Adrien's wide spread feet.

Adrien whirled around to face the enemy who was behind him on instinct.

His paintballs splattered on the tree hut's support beam as Snipe swung himself up and over to get behind Adrien once again.

Adrien heard the sound of the team captain catching his gun from the air and groaned as he felt the paint ball hit his back.

The horn sounded indicating the end of the first round.

Adrien turned to see Sniper chuckle.

"Good game, that was the closest I've ever come to getting out," the team captain admitted.

Adrien couldn't help but smile back despite being annoyed that he'd been so easily tricked. Both times.

"You're a really good strategist and a very good athlete," he conceded.

"Thank you but I could say the same for you. I've been compared to Chat Noir but maybe you're him."

Adrien laughed nervously.

"Oh please you could beat me any day of the week!"

Sniper shook his head in disagreement.

"Maybe you'll win next round," he offered as he turned to head back to his team.

When Adrien walked over to wipe the paint off his team surrounded him in a frenzy.

"Dude what was that!" Nino demanded. He knew Adrien fenced, but that cartwheel to avoid Sniper's shots was unreal.

"I'm uh. Flexible?" Adrien lied terribly.

Nino shook his head and let it go while Kim clapped Adrien on the back.

"That was the closest we've ever can to winning!" Kim stated happily.

"It was pretty fun to watch too, I was worried since they'd have an extra team member," Ivan said.

Adrien grinned, enjoying his friends praise even though they did win.

He felt irritation flicker in the back of his mind as his competitiveness roared to life.

This was just for fun.

Adrien looked to Nathaniel and shot him a smile.

"You're really really good," Adrien complimented.

Nathaniel gave him a fist bump in response.

Adrien turned to Max who looked thoughtful, no doubt calculating a new strategy.

"What's the plan?" He asked.

"Nathaniel will snipe instead of Ivan, Nino will tank again and you. You're our secret weapon so take the back of the diamond formation. Sniper is probably adjusting his plan too, he'll probably go for the second level to check for you, if anything he'll wipe us out," Max replied, "so be conscientious of bridge runners and hit them when they're moving for us."

Adrien nodded, not a bad plan, Max must always play the bait.

The Horn sounded and Adrien felt his heart pump faster, the adrenaline flowing through his veins.

The competition team made the first move and Adrien peeked out of his hiding place to shoot the player running towards Max.

Adrien whipped his head back in time to avoid a paintball and smirked.

That guy had been bait to weed out the hidden ground players.

Sniper was smart.

Adrien watched as Nathaniel shot the player before he got to Max.

When Adrien peeked out again he saw Nino and Ivan applying pressure to the guy who had shot at Adrien.

Kim was using their fire fight to move ahead and took one guy by surprise.

Adrien moved to fill in Kim's vacant spot only to be pinned down by Bean Pole who was sniping from a tower.

A squawk from Nathaniel that only Adrien's heightened senses could pick up made Adrien notice Sniper who was headed straight for the poor boy.

Adrien couldn't help but snicker. Poor Nathaniel always seemed to be the target.

He frowned after that though. Everyone on the ground, including him, were too preoccupied to aim for Sniper.

The fire on Adrien stopped and made the blond peek out, Bean Pole had been taken out.

Adrien looked up to se Max gave him a thumbs up then pointed to Sniper who was prepping a shot.

He whipped his gun and sent the paintball flying, making the captain pull back.

Adrien heard Max give a strangled yelp and turned to see that another player in a tower had gotten him, Sniper a distraction.

He then proceeded to shoot Nino who had just shot the guy they'd been engaged with.

Nino groaned in frustration but Ivan and Kim managed to evade the attack, climbing up the ladders at the opposite end of the field.

Adrien gulped. He was sandwiched between two opposing players.

He slipped underneath the tree hut Max used to occupy in order to keep Sniper busy.

He prayed that the other team wasn't like their captain.

Adrien heard Kim and Ivan exchange fire with Max's slayer.

He, meanwhile, kept Sniper from aiming for them.

The firing overhead stopped and out of the corner of his eye he saw Sniper's teammate head to the out zone. Kim and Ivan hesitantly moved towards Sniper making Adrien wince. When they entered the hut Adrien heard rounds upon rounds of shots go.

He loved his friends and they were good... but Sniper was better.

Adrien moved to the other end of the field and climbed into a tower there.

The firing stopped making him wince.

He peeked around from his vantage point to see the rest of his team head to the wait spot.

Meanwhile Sniper was looking around. He even hung upside down the bridge to check underneath the two nearby huts.

Adrien pursed his lips. Sniper was apparently adept at check the most area of the field while expending the least amount of energy.

To his surprise Sniper went back up to the higher level, strolling along the suspension bridges casually.

Adrien tried to think of a strategy, if he hid himself in the ceiling there was no guarantee Sniper would find him before his arms gave out...

He peeked to see Sniper on an adjacent suspended bridge, he was hand throwing paint balls at hiding spots.

It was pretty weird but Adrien wasn't one to judge unconventional strategies, it was quite common with his Lady and her lucky charm.

Finally Sniper climbed into the hut next to Adrien through the window.

A move he never would've saw coming.

Adrien gulped and felt his blood roar.

He was coming.

Adrien pushed himself up onto the ceiling, gun angled at the window.

A paintball splattered in the middle of the floor, flying in at an odd angle from the window. Adrien didn't notice and shot, expecting Sniper to come in immediately after.

Adrien panicked a fell to the ground with an "oof" when he saw Sniper enter from the entrance he was least expecting. Not even from the direction he original came from.

Sniper stifled a laugh as he shot Adrien in the back before extending a hand to help him up.

"You might've had me if you'd stayed up there," Sniper remarked.

Adrien rubbed his head.

"You surprised me," he mumbled.

"Part of the game. You have to be more adaptable," Sniper advised before looking him up and down, making Adrien tilt his head.

"Er - sorry, just checking to see if you're okay," the short boy said.

Adrien just nodded.

"Yeah all good," he muttered as the speakers announced the comp team as the winners.

Adrien huffed as Sniper and him went to the center of the arena where the teams shook hands with each other.

Bean Pole gave him a twisted look, probably smirking, his grip tight as he shook hands with Adrien.

Adrien resisted the urge to growl and but couldn't help his scowl.

The other team members were polite. Eyes calm and pleased.

As they walked out of the field Adrien sighed.

It had been fun... But losing... Was frustrating.

Especially since he didn't know how it happened.

Adrien was taking off his gear, deep in thought as he replayed the round in his mind.

Just then the speakers blared to life again as the next team filed in.

"Last game before 1 versus 100," it said.

Adrien side glanced at Nino who was giving him a wicked grin.

"We're not done here yet," Nino stated.


	3. Chapter 3 : 1 VS 100

**A/N: Hi guys, I'm very sorry to announce that this story (and my account) will be going on hiatus for awhile as some personal problems have come up in my life.**

**I will be taking some time off to focus on myself and I'll let you know if anything changes.**

**Also please let me know what you think of Bean Pole? Should he stay or go? I'd like to have some chapters written for you guys when I come off of hiatus.**

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"We're not done here yet," Nino said with a grin.

Adrien tilted his head in curiosity.

This had something to do with the upcoming 1 VS 100 the loud speaker had mentioned.

What the heck was 1 VS 100?

Adrien was about to ask when Nino answered for him.

"1 VS 100 is kind of an exaggeration, it's basically every person who isn't Sniper will be working as a team to get Sniper," Nino explained as Adrien's jaw dropped.

"He's that good?" Adrien asked incredulously.

Nino nodded solemnly.

"He's never lost a game..."

Adrien could imagine his expression was comical, but Nino didn't seem to find it funny.

It was apparently the appropriate reaction to the fact.

Adrien gulped and looked around at the growing crowd, apparently they were excited to once again try to take on Sniper.

He knew the Team Captain was good... but there were a lot of people here... was he really that good?

Adrien didn't get time to dwell on the matter because the last game had ended in record time.

As people filed in Adrien could see the comp team - other than Shrimp of course - head over to join the masses on the other side of the field.

Adrien couldn't help but comment to Nino.

"Bean Pole's gonna work with us?" he questioned.

Nino chuckled and shook his head.

"No, he's just gonna try to get Sniper on his own, he likes to think he's Sniper's number one rival," Nino replied.

Adrien snorted. Yeah right...

Sniper had basically told him that he was his number one rival.

Adrien smiled at the memory. It was nice to be acknowledged for his skill.

Even though he was Ladybug's partner, he always felt more like a side kick...

Adrien stood next to Nino as him and the team tried to work out a plan with the other players, all of whom were eager to to have their input.

He, on the other hand, looked out onto the field, trying to see if he could spot Sniper. His gaze flickered over different objects, searching for just the barest hint of movement, only to find nothing.

Nino punched Adrien in the shoulder.

"C'mon man did you hear anything we just said?" He chided.

Adrien smirked, it was times like these he was glad he somehow had the ability to let his mind wander yet be able to repeat a teacher's lecture.

"Yeah of course! Work in pairs while the snipers take points in the towers, other pairs who are behind forwards should back them as they advance. Once Sniper is found groups should join up and shift accordingly to try and corner him. With so many guns trained on him - and I quote from Kim - 'there's no way he can win'." Adrien rattled off, taking a deep breath at the end to replace all the air he used.

It wasn't a bad plan.

But that's what Adrien had said about the ones Max had made for their team and they still lost.

"Fine I'll give you that one, but you gotta be my partner," Nino said with a grin.

Adrien gave Nino a fist bump and watched as the other guys partnered up.

Nathan and Kim partnered up as forwards while Ivan and Max decided to snipe together.

The loud speakers blared the warning horn, signaling the crowd of paint ballers to file into the arena.

Despite the arena being huge, the extremely large team could barely fit in the confines of their half of the arena.

Adrien and Nino were squished together behind an oil drum on its side, somewhere in the middle of their side of the field.

Everywhere Adrien looked, the field of objects were packed with people hiding behind them. There was no hiding spot that wasn't already taken. The towers above were filled with snipers though Adrien couldn't see Max or Ivan.

He should've felt extremely confident that they would win with their numbers, but instead he almost felt dread. They looked like a heard of cattle ready for slaughter.

The feeling was exhilarating none the less, Adrien could feel his heart pounding. The field was dead silent. The sudden blaring of the loudspeakers made Adrien flinch.

Nino tapped Adrien on the shoulder and encouraged him to peak around his end of the barrel.

Adrien took a glance at the field only to see some bold forwards charging straight into Sniper's side of the field. They were clearly trying to flush him out.

The entire field slowly began migrating towards Sniper's side of the field. The atmosphere was tense, filled with nervous energy. When would the Team Captain strike? Where was he?

At the halfway point Adrien grabbed Nino and pulled him down behind a bale of hay.

"Dude what the heck," Nino protestes quietly.

It was clear he wanted to be on the other side of the field searching for Sniper.

"He's not on the ground over there so he's either in the towers or on our side," Adrien said.

Nino's eyes widened.

"Either way it's a trap," Nino hummed.

In the span of their short conversation Adrien checked their team's progress to see the players get more brazen. They weren't watching their back and had started saying "clear" as they checked spots. They were literally giving their location away.

They were all still on the ground. A few began to make their was towards the ladders to climb up.

Adrien tapped Nino on the shoulder and silently motioned for them to take a hard look around the field. Adrien watched the tower's on Sniper's Side and Nino checked their side of the field.

Adrien was surprised as he and Nino rolled from their hiding spot to behind a car.

"Nino we're on the wrong side, if Sniper is in the towers then we're sitting ducks," Adrien hissed.

Nino shook his head.

"We were sitting ducks before, you're doubly right. He's in the towers, but he's on our side of the field now. Everyone looking for him is about to get wrecked," Nino exclaimed.

"How do you know?" Adrien's questioned.

Nino pointed through the car's window hole at the towers on their side.

"I don't see any of our snipers anymore," he explained.

Adrien narrowed his eyes in concentration. Nino was right. Before he could make out some clothing, a bit of a mask or even the paintball gun pointing out the window. Every sniping spot now looked empty.

They no longer had any cover and the ground patrol was about to be massacred.

Adrien looked back to the team.

A few more people began climbing the ladders when it happened.

A spray of paintballs, hitting everyone not watching their back, standing up or on the ladders. A few people were able to react quickly, either because they were crouching down, protected by an object or in the towers.

Adrien watched as over half their team had been wiped out.

One guy who had been very vocal at the team planning session was pinned down adjacent to them.

"Snipers where's our cover!" He yelled.

Adrien shook his head. They were all out already. The Team Captain had smartly and quietly took them out first.

Bean Pole and a few others tried making their way back towards center line by using cover fire, except nobody had seen where the shots came from. Everyone had been too busy looking for Sniper, facing the wrong way.

Using the cover fire, Bean Pole sidled up to the guy who'd yelled earlier.

"Don't you get it?" He sneered, "All of the original snipers have already been taken out!"

The guy looked shocked. Bean Pole shook his head in disgust before moving on.

Adrien watched the field advance towards the other side as new snipers in the towers took their mark. Covering for the field team.

Adrien frowned. They were making the same mistakes as they had last time. Somebody had to be on the suspension bridge doing a sweep too.

Adrien looked around, a ladder that led to a tower was near them.

He waited as a spray of cover fire was returned by Sniper. Adrien studied its trajectory to find it leading from a tower in the back corner.

It was too obvious. Definitely a trap. And it worked because as his team returned fire, they began to converge at the tower.

Adrien hummed thoughtfully. If Shrimp wanted to ambush those guys, were would he have a perfect shot.

Nino tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to a tower that was situated diagonally from the back corner.

Yes of course! Sniper was there.

Adrien started to call out to the guys that it was a trap when Nino put a hand on his shoulder. Adrien looked at his best friend who only shook his head.

"We'd only be giving away our positions, it's too late for them," he stated. He then pointed to the ladder Adrien had been looking before.

Of course, this new ambush meant it would be safe for them to climb up to the closest tower.

"One of us should stay on the ground," Nino suggested.

Adrien nodded and gestured for Nino to go. They both waited until the sound of gunfire and the surprised exclamations of his teammates began.

Nino took his chance, quickly but quietly scaling the ladder, hiding in the tower. Adrien took the opportunity to crawl inside the car. It was risky. He had little mobility and could very well easily be trapped.

Adrien wished he'd worn a dark color so he could blend into the shadows. He curled up in the gutted car, hiding where the trunk would be.

He peaked out of the back window to watch Bean Pole and the other victims of the ambush put their arms up in surrender. The snipers on the other side of the field finally began converging on where they thought the Team Captain was. Adrien knew that he was no longer in the tower he shot from.

At this point, however, Adrien wasn't sure whether he was on the ground or up above. He tried to spy movement, knowing Sniper would be going after those shooting at him. Adrien changed tactics and watched the paintballers instead. He noticed them one by one stop firing.

THERE! He saw Sniper moving from one target to the next. Now it was up to Adrien not to lose sight of him.

Adrien watched the last few paintballers in the tower change targets to the other now quiet towers. His eyes narrowed as he saw a form emerge. He immediately knew it wasn't Sniper due to the form's size, but the other paintballers took the bait. They fired only to hear the figure protest.

"Hey! I'm already out!" The guy yelled. Hands up in the air.

Adrien watched as Sniper leapt off the roof of one tower, cartwheel the suspension bridge and army roll into another tower, shooting the players occupying the spot.

The last two towers fired heavily at the tower Sniper was now pinned down in. They were using too much ammo. And as they briefly stopped to reload, Sniper came rushing out of the tower, running towards them like he wasn't on a shaky unstable suspension bridge. His speed was insane. He shot both players before they had the chance to aim.

Adrien mentally cursed. He was pretty sure it was him and Nino now. He watched Sniper scan the field. Shooting a few random paintballs. Adrien felt like he was suddenly in a game of cat and mouse. Except this time he wasn't sure whether he was the cat or not.

When Sniper checked a tower, Adrien quietly slunk out of the car and pressed himself under the crevice where the suspension bridge met the tower. The shadows camouflaged him perfectly, but Sniper was directly above him and the slats in the bridge weren't wide enough to hit him with a paintball. If Sniper saw him, he would be a dead.

Adrien held his breath as Sniper walked quietly onto the suspension bridge. If Adrien wasn't hiding and watching him, he never would've known that Sniper left the tower.

He tried his best to quietly aim his gun at Sniper, the bridge still in his way. He shifted to the open field more and shot, only for Sniper to grab the bridge's rope rail and swing himself onto the ground.

Adrien cartwheeled out of the way as Sniper shot the spot where he would be.

Adrenaline started filling Adrien's veins. There was no where to hide now. He had to think fast and rely on his instinct. Adrien took aim at where Sniper was standing while he still upside down. As Sniper moved Adrien shot just to the right of him, in hopes of tricking him. But to his surprise Sniper leapt onto the suspension bridge again, climbing up as Adrien rolled to his feet.

As Sniper took aim he suddenly threw his gun into the air again. Adrien tensed recognizing the finishing move from last game. Instead Sniper took a step back as a paintball whizzed by his face. Adrien saw Nino through the tower window, forgetting that he was still in the game.

Sniper leaped off the bridge and did a summersault in mid air, catching his gun and twisting to shoot Nino through the window of the tower.

Adrien shifted to see where Sniper had landed only to see nothing. He took cover behind the car and quietly snuck inside, once again trapping himself. It was risky, but it just might trick Sniper long enough to take him out.

Adrien watched as Sniper crept out from behind a hay bale, casually striding over to inspect the car. He maintained a safe distance so he could watch the car's openings. Sniper carefully inspected the car, still not seeing Adrien before turning his back. He looked like he was going to climb up to the towers again. Adrien aimed and fired.

Everything appeared to happen in slow motion. Sniper did a backwards flip making Adrien look up as he heard the thud on the car's roof. He had no idea where Sniper was going to attack from and dived from the back window of the car only to feel the pain ball hit his back.

As he rolled to his feet Adrien faced Sniper who was lounging on the car's roof.

"You know if you tried to shoot me as you dove out of the car you might've had me," Sniper said calmly.

Adrien sighed

"I know but I panicked again," he admitted.

Sniper nodded.

"You showed really good intuition and strategy. I was expecting you to instinctively back up to the hay bales so I could shoot you. Taking cover behind the car was smart," Sniper praised.

"Yeah thanks, but there's still room for improvement. You always knew I was inside the car, and then you baited me into confirming your suspicion," Adrien countered.

Sniper shrugged.

"Every time I play against you I always see mass improvement. You're getting better and better. Playing against you is very good practice for me as well, if you really want to improve then you should play me one on one, where we can cut to the chase," Sniper suggested.

Adrien knew his mouth was hanging wide open.

Play one on one with Sniper? It felt like such an honor, not to mention all the praise he was heaping on the blond.

" I - er - um," Adrien stuttered, "Don't you have more important things to do?"

Sniper shook his head.

"Just give me a date and I'll make the arrangement to be free. An hour of play is nothing," he replied.

"Is it okay if I get back to you on that? I have a pretty cramped schedule," Adrien said sheepishly.

Sniper nodded.

"Just call the Paintball Club, they'll pass your message to me and I'll be there," Sniper answered before walking off the field.

The loud speaker roared to life, stating how Sniper was once again undefeated.


End file.
